HB967
Voting Rights Act of Virginia; revises provisions.
Status:
Passed
Latest Action:
March 16, 2026
House: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB967)
Chief Patron:
Cia Price (D)
Session:
2026 Regular Session
Summary
As Introduced. Elections; Voting Rights Act of Virginia.
Revises provisions of the Voting Rights Act of Virginia (the Act) by (i) clarifying the legal standards for evaluating claims of alleged voter suppression and vote dilution, (ii) providing guidance to the courts to follow when determining whether a violation of the prohibition against voter suppression or vote dilution has ... (More) occurred, and (iii) outlining the factors that the courts are permitted to consider and those factors that the courts are prohibiting from considering. The bill expands the class of persons who may initiate a cause of action for an alleged violation of the Act, to include organizations whose membership includes members of a protected class, organizations whose mission would be frustrated by a violation of the Act, and organizations that would expend resources in order to fulfill its mission as a result of a violation of the Act. The population thresholds for a locality to be designated as a covered locality for purposes of minority language accessibility pursuant to the Act are also amended. Current law designates a locality as a covered locality if, in the locality, (a) more than five percent of the voting age population or (b) more than 10,000 of the voting age population are members of a single language minority and are unable to speak or understand English adequately enough to participate in the electoral process; the bill reduces those thresholds from five to three percent and from 10,000 to 5,000. The bill contains technical amendments for organizational purposes. (Less)-
Bill History
- 01/13/2026 - House: Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101432D
- 01/13/2026 - House: Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections
- 02/03/2026 - House: Assigned HPE sub: Voting Rights
- 02/03/2026 - House: Placed on Privileges and Elections Agenda
- 02/06/2026 - House: Subcommittee recommends reporting (6-Y 2-N)
- 02/06/2026 - House: Placed on Privileges and Elections Agenda
- 02/06/2026 - House: Reported from Privileges and Elections (15-Y 7-N)
- 02/10/2026 - House: Read first time
- 02/11/2026 - House: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB967)
- 02/11/2026 - House: Read second time and engrossed
- 02/12/2026 - House: Read third time and passed House (63-Y 35-N 0-A) Close Floor Vote
- 02/13/2026 - Senate: Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
- 02/13/2026 - Senate: Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections
- 02/24/2026 - Senate: Senate committee offered
- 02/24/2026 - Senate: Reported from Privileges and Elections with amendments and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (8-Y 7-N)
- 02/24/2026 - Senate: Rereferred to Finance and Appropriations
- 03/03/2026 - Senate: Reported from Finance and Appropriations (10-Y 5-N)
- 03/03/2026 - Senate: Rules suspended
- 03/03/2026 - Senate: Constitutional reading dispensed (on 2nd reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
- 03/03/2026 - Senate: Passed by for the day (Voice Vote)
- 03/04/2026 - Senate: Read third time
- 03/04/2026 - Senate: Committee amendments agreed to
- 03/04/2026 - Senate: Engrossed by Senate as amended
- 03/04/2026 - Senate: Passed Senate with amendments (21-Y 18-N 0-A) Close Floor Vote
- 03/06/2026 - House: Senate amendments agreed to by House (62-Y 35-N 0-A) Close Floor Vote
- 03/13/2026 - House: Enrolled
- 03/13/2026 - House: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB967ER)
- 03/13/2026 - House: Signed by Speaker
- 03/13/2026 - Senate: Signed by President
- 03/14/2026 - House: Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 14, 2026
- 03/14/2026 - Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
- 03/16/2026 - House: Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB967)
